What it's like to live in Hexham

Northumberland is a largely owner-occupied county: 65.2% of homes are owned outright or on a mortgage, 16.4% are privately rented and 17.8% are social rented, just above the England figure of 17.1%. That social housing splits almost evenly between council homes at 9.3% and housing association homes at 8.5%.

The biggest social landlords in the area are Northumberland County Council with around 8,213 homes, Bernicia Group with 7,971 and Karbon Homes with 6,463. Home Group and Sanctuary Housing Association also hold stock locally. Average weekly social rents in 2024/25 were about £77 for a one bed, £88 for two beds and £96 for three.

The age profile is older than England as a whole: 25.4% of people are 65 or over against 18.4% nationally, and 29.1% are aged 45 to 64. Fewer are aged 25 to 44. For context on demand, the council's housing register held 10,921 households at March 2025, and a register is not a simple queue. In 2024-25 the council let 519 homes and 20 were swapped by mutual exchange.

Families are well served for schools close to home. Northumberland uses a first, middle and high school system here. The Sele First School is about a quarter of a mile away, with St Mary's Catholic First School and Hexham First School also close, and Acomb and Beaufront First Schools within a couple of miles if you want a smaller village option.

For older children, Hexham Middle School and Queen Elizabeth High School are both under a mile from the centre, with St Joseph's Catholic Middle School nearby too. Hexham Priory School, a special school, is also close. Having first, middle and high schools all within walking distance of much of the town makes the school run manageable without a car.

Outside school, The Sele and Hexham House Grounds give you green space minutes from the centre, and Tyne Green Country Park by the river is good for bikes, scooters and long afternoons out. Hexham Library and Hexham Community Centre are the obvious places to look for children's sessions and activities. Hexham General Hospital being so close is a quiet reassurance with young children.

Hexham has a railway station about a third of a mile from the centre, on the Tyne Valley line, which is the single biggest advantage of living here without a car. Having trains as well as buses gives you a genuine alternative when the weather turns or the roads are busy.

Hexham Bus Station is in the town centre, a couple of minutes' walk from the shops, and it is the hub for services around the surrounding rural area. If you rely on buses, check the exact routes and evening timetables for the places you need regularly, because rural services away from the main valley can thin out later in the day.

On foot, the town is kind. Most of what you need, the library, the supermarkets, the pharmacies, the hospital and the parks, sits within half a mile of the centre, so plenty of errands are walkable. There are hills, so it is not flat going everywhere. Drivers have the A69 corridor running along the valley between Newcastle and Carlisle, which makes commuting east or west straightforward, though parking in a market town centre takes some planning.

For a town of this size, the leisure side is better than you would expect. The Forum is both a cinema and a bar, so there is somewhere to go in the evening without travelling to Newcastle. That matters on a dark winter night when you would rather not face a train home.

Pubs cluster in the centre: The Grapes, the Coach And Horses, Heart of Northumberland and Mr Ant's are all within a few minutes' walk of each other, which makes for an easy night out and an easy walk home. Two gyms, No Limits and E.T Fitness and Therapy, sit right in the middle of town.

The outdoors is the real draw. Tyne Green Country Park runs along the river and is the go-to for walks, running and fresh air, while The Sele and Hexham House Grounds give you grass and trees almost in the town centre. Hexham Library covers the quieter side of things, from books to a warm place to sit. Beyond the town, rural Northumberland starts almost immediately.

Across the Northumberland council area, 52.4% of adults are in work, below the England figure of 57.4%. That partly reflects an older population rather than a weak jobs market. Unemployment is lower than average at 2.9% against 3.5% for England, and unemployment-related benefit claims run at 2.9% of working-age people compared with 4% nationally.

In practice, Hexham itself works as a service town. The hospital, schools, shops and supermarkets in and around the centre are significant employers, and the town draws in workers and customers from the villages around it. Public services and retail dominate the kind of jobs you will see advertised locally.

If you need a wider choice of work, the Tyne Valley line and the A69 put Newcastle and Gateshead within commuting reach east, and Carlisle west. Plenty of people here do exactly that, working in the city and living in the valley. Before you swap, be realistic about commuting costs and times, especially if you would be relying on trains or buses rather than a car.